Sophie
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Posted:May 8, 2008 11:22 pm
Last Updated:May 16, 2008 6:38 pm 8450 Views
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I went into the friends network tonight and saw my face on one of the banana profiles and wanted to say thanks... It was me.
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Love is in the air or is it.....
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Posted:May 8, 2008 5:09 pm
Last Updated:Jun 11, 2008 7:27 pm 8507 Views
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Through most of Western civilization, marriage has been more a matter of money, power and survival than of delicate sentiments. In medieval Europe, everyone from the lord of the manor to the village locals had a say in deciding who should wed. Love was considered an absurdly flimsy reason for a match. Even during the Victorian era, adultery and friendship were often more passionate than marriage. These days, we marry for love and are rewarded with a blistering divorce rate.
So let's take a look at how the perception of marriage has changed during our lifetime and perhaps our parents and grandparents. I found the information below interesting and wanted to share it tonight.
Discussions are welcome.
* 1920s U.S.: How Saturday night began–Dating is the new craze–in restaurants and cars, away from the oversight of family. Popular culture embraces sex, but critics fear that marriage is on the rocks.
* 1950s U.S.: Marriage is mandatory–Marriage becomes almost universal, and the nuclear family is triumphant: Four out of five people surveyed in 1957 believe that preferring to remain single is "sick," "neurotic" or "immoral."
* 1970s U.S.: All you need is love?–Self-sufficient women and changing social rules mean marriage is no longer obligatory. Quarreling couples split up rather than make do, and the divorce rate skyrockets.
* Today: Bride pride–Marriage is the ultimate expression of love, leading gays and lesbians to seek the right to marry, but also encouraging couples to cohabit until they're sure about their "soul mate." Marriage rates fall–but the fantasy of the perfect wedding is
ubiquitous.
Based on research from Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage, by Stephanie Coontz (Viking,May 2005).
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Dreaming into the future
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Posted:Apr 30, 2008 5:56 am
Last Updated:May 30, 2008 5:04 pm 8407 Views
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On the last blog post I was reminiscing about the past so now this morning I am dreaming into the future and tomorrow I will be thinking about today.
When we are young we have wonderful dreams about how we would like to live our life. Then we live it to the best of our ability. Some people get breaks that help them to achieve their dreams easier and some don't. I was a motivated self starter but didn't get many breaks so to speak. From the age of 20 until 48 I accomplished just about everything that I had set out to accomplish. Owned homes, owned rental property, traveled to Hawaii (5 times), lived in Hawaii (1 year) Owned a mortgage company and a jewelry business. Raised a wonderful respectable who made it through the potential bad years.
I say all of the above because I want to make one point. No matter what stage in life you are in and as hard as you try to position yourself for your future, chances are you will end back at square one where you started. Investments will falter, life events will rob and steal and priorities will change.
Living for today is so important, yet it is still good to plan responsibly for your future dreams and if your past dreams have vanished it is ok to find some more. These are some possible things that I would like to do in my future.
Own another business...dealing with retail instead of finance.
Be a buyer of merchandise for a retail establishment.
Travel to other tropical islands.
Purchase another home.
Some may be able to relate to my story and if you do I have one last thought. Many of us who are trying to do the right thing, trying to love, trying to be like Him will be finding the going is hard. We hold onto Him tight. We might even get into the whole forsaking self rubbish theology and we end up learning about a very harmful and damaging theology of suffering.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11
But Jesus came to give you life abundantly and He wants you to live your life, the life He gave you. So many Christians in desperate times hold onto scripture such as this one... but they end up holding on and on and on forever.
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Reminising about the past...
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Posted:Apr 28, 2008 11:21 pm
Last Updated:May 29, 2008 7:22 pm 8607 Views
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All through our lives we experience changes. Our emotions are up and down and we feel good some days and bad on others. We experience happiness and unfortunately great sadness at various times of our lifetime. That is why it is so important to not be led by how you feel at any given moment or to make decisions based on your emotions.
One thing that I sadly regret doing is selling my Condo in Maui. As my thoughts go back and looking at the surrounding circumstances I know that this was an emotional decision. During this time period I had rented it out to an unknown couple for one week while I left the island for the holidays and they flooded the unit causing the ceiling below my unit to start collapsing. Just the stress of the experience caused me to say I have had enough and I MUST SELL NOW to take care of this ladies ceiling and water dripping all over her lovely belongings. I sat back and thought after the fact, that I could have resolved this for about $1,500. yet I did not and the result was the loss of my dreams. Can anyone relate?
I guess the moral of this story is to not make major decisions while under stress.
Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." It is better to be led by Christ than by our constantly shifting and changing feelings.
Women especially need to heed this warning because we are more emotional than men and feelings are very important to us. We need to make sure we're planted in God's house and in His Word. Remember who you are in Christ instead of giving into insecurities and fear by making life-altering decisions without trusting God to give direction and guidance.
Trust the God who "does not change like shifting shadows," as it says in James 1:17. Make your emotions the caboose, not the engine.
This is my desire for my life which I will be trying to make really real next year.
Letting God be the engine and me the caboose.
Then another thing happened tonight by chance. I received an email from some stranger and noticed that he looked much like my first husband in many ways. I then realized than I was at the age of 19 and my is 17 1/2. I was married for 5 years. I got this crazy idea to google his name and low and behold I found a picture and also a resume and I was able to remember the exact events that transpired some 30 years ago. Sorta creepy, I know...but it happened.
So much time has passed. He has two from his second marriage, I have been told. I have not spoken to him in years. It's interesting how the mind wanders at times.
Considering my sons age and what I feel his maturity level is and how I felt at that same general age, it makes me have great understanding as to what road is ahead of him although he thinks I have no clue.
I only hope that he gets glimpses of the lessons that I have learned, as I got really no instruction myself... sigh... I shall pray.
Care to share similar experiences and create healing among us?
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Hat shop
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Posted:Apr 28, 2008 10:13 pm
Last Updated:Feb 21, 2010 3:00 pm 8551 Views
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I love my job since I retired from the mortgage business. I sell hats now and I love it. I couldn't resist sharing this picture that I found on the internet tonight. I hope everyone's day was blessed and full of love and hope for their future.
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D. L. Moody's last days
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Posted:Apr 26, 2008 8:47 pm
Last Updated:May 5, 2008 2:16 pm 8107 Views
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Noah's ark
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I love the writings and sermons of D.L Moody and I would like to share this excerpt from one of them tonight. It's about Noah's ark and our covering.
"Suppose you do not want to hear a sermon (on this last night) so much as you want to know how to be saved. I want, if I can, to answer that question, "What must I do to be saved?" There is no question that can come before us in this world that is so important; and I think that there is not a man in this audience to-night who does not feel interested in it.
I heard a man, when he was going out the other night, saying: "I do not believe in sudden conversion. I do not believe what the preacher said to-night, that a man could come in here a sinner, and go out a Christian." Now, I want to say that I do not believe in any other conversion. I do not believe that there ever has been a conversion in the world that was not instantaneous, and I want you to mark this: not but what many cannot tell the day nor the hour when they were converted. I will admit that: they may not know the time; but that does not change the great fact that there was a time when they passed from death unto life; that there was a time when they were born [ABCOG: begotten] into the kingdom of God. There must have been a minute when their name was written in the Book of Life. There must have been a time when they were ere lost, and a time when they were saved; but we may not be conscious when the change takes place. I believe the conversion of some is like the rising of the sun, and of others like the flashing of a meteor. But both are instantaneous, really, in the sight of God. There must be a time when life begins to rise; when the dead soul begins to live.
Now, this evening I want to take up some of the Bible illustrations. In the first place, there is the ark. There was a minute when Noah was outside of the ark, and another minute when he was inside. And, bear in mind, it was the ark that saved Noah: it was not his righteousness; it was not his feelings; it was not his tears; it was not his prayers. It was the ark that saved him. If he had tried to make an ark of his feelings, or of his prayers, or of his life, he would have been swept away: he would have been drowned with the rest. But, you see, it was the ark that saved him.
When I was in Manchester, I went into the gallery one Sunday night to have a talk with a few inquirers; and while I was talking, a business man came in, and took his seat on the outskirts of the audience. I think, at first, he had come merely to criticize, and that he was a little skeptical. At last I saw he was in tears. I turned to him, and said, " My friend, what is your difficulty?" "Well," he said, "Mr. Moody, the fact is, I cannot tell." I said, "Do you believe you are a sinner?" He said, "Yes; I know that." I said, "Christ is able to save you"; and I used one illustration after another, but he did not see it. At last I thought of the ark, and I said: "Was it Noah's feelings that saved him? Was it Noah's righteousness that saved him, or was it the ark?" "I see it, now," said he; "I see it." He got up and shook hands with me, and said: "Good-night: I must go. I have to go away by the train to-night; but I was determined to be saved before I went. I see it now."
A few days after, he came and touched me on the shoulder, and said, "Do you know me? " I said, "I know your face, but do not remember where I have seen you." He said, "Do you not remember the illustration of the ark? I said, " Yes." "It has been all light ever since," said he. "I understand it now. Christ is the Ark; He saves me; and I must get inside Him." When I went down to Manchester again, and talked to the young friends there, I found he was the brightest light among them. Turn then to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Turn your eye to Calvary; believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved."
--Dwight Lyman Moody's Last Sermon in London. Preached in Camberwell Hall, Sunday Evening, July 11th, 1875.
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Things that make you go hmmm
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Posted:Apr 16, 2008 8:30 pm
Last Updated:Apr 18, 2008 10:45 pm 8587 Views
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| ....Things that make you go hmmm |
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Why do we park in driveways and drive on parkways?
Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?
Why does Hawaii have interstate highways?
What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
What are Preparation A through Preparation G?
How come there aren't B batteries?
Why do black olives come in cans and green olives come in jars?
How do they get the deer to cross at that yellow deer crossing sign?
Why do hot dogs come 10 to a package and hot buns only 8?
What if the Hokey Pokey is what its all about?
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Quote of the day
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Posted:Apr 16, 2008 6:51 pm
Last Updated:Apr 21, 2008 8:58 pm 8485 Views
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"He who cannot
forgive breaks the bridge over
which he himself
must pass."
Thomas Fuller
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